


show them all (you're not the ordinary type)

by thesorrowoflizards



Series: forged in fire [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: BAMF Magnus Bane, Domestic Malec, Gen, Lorenzo is an asshole, Lowkey foreplay, M/M, Magicless Magnus, Magnus-centric, Non-Explicit Sex, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Episode: s03e10 Erchomai, Sparring, Warlock Politics??, and she is worried about magnus, basically ignore the thing with clary being gone and whatever, catarina is back, like at all, she's fine and she's here, timeline? me? who cares, warlock world-building?? sort of??, watch me try and write battle scenes with political undertones!!!, watch me try and write sparring scenes even tho i don't know one (1) thing about fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-24 02:23:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14945816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesorrowoflizards/pseuds/thesorrowoflizards
Summary: magnus challenges lorenzo for his right to stay in new york.ft. domestic malec and sparring and cat being awesome





	show them all (you're not the ordinary type)

**Author's Note:**

> sorry i really hate lorenzo and he's a complete dickhead in this one. like. he's really kind of terrible. so if you like him, uh, sorry?

 

 

alec was asleep.

magnus wasn’t.

he’d had another nightmare _(asmodeous’s hands around his throat and no matter how many times he tried his magic wouldn’t come and there was fire licking at his skin and he was trapped and alone)_ which seemed to be happening a lot more often as of late.

he took a sip of his martini.

it was late. or rather, _early._

he was on his balcony, lounging in one of the chairs. he could use the fresh air.

he stared at nothing, lost in thought.

everything was so slow and so fast at the same time.

it had only been a week since he’d lost his magic.

catarina was still working, working through her own problems. he didn’t blame her.

clary was missing. jace was no longer the owl. lillith was gone.

so many things had happened and yet—

he was still mortal.

he was mortal now.

it was an odd feeling, not to have centuries looming on either side of him.

and alec—alec was trying so hard. he wanted to help. he was so _good._

he held magnus when he had nightmares _(when he woke up, that is)_ and he listened to magnus _(when magnus bothered to talk)_ and he made him breakfast and kissed him softly and took care of him as he always did.

it was nice. it even helped, in a way.

but like when valentine had stolen his body, this wasn’t something alec could fix. it wasn’t something any mortal hands could fix.

(mortal hands like magnus’s.)

he blinked, snapping back to the present. his drink was empty, apparently mindlessly drained as he’d been lost in thought. the sun was rising, bright light glimmering on the city below. how long had he been sitting here?

he decided there was no reason to get up. alec was still asleep and he had nothing to do today.

_(no clients, no magic, no research, you’re useless—)_

he almost lifted a hand to summon another glass, but caught himself. he was powerless. no use.

he didn’t bother getting up to get it. it wasn’t worth it.

he grabbed the sunglasses he’d left on the side table, sliding them on. they were round and kind of silly (cat had always said they made her think of ozzy osbourne) but they worked. he couldn’t exactly summon shade or retrieve his nice sunglasses from somewhere deep in his closet.

he lay back, trying to relax.

then there was a tell-tale sound, the sound of air warping and magic crackling. the sound of a portal opening—quite rudely—in his apartment.

(it had to used to be that no one but he and a few choice warlocks could portal into his wards. but his wards were thin, now, only the basic ones he’d anchored to the apartment left. he could no longer actively maintain them.)

lorenzo rey stepped through the door as if he owned the place, superiority radiating off him.

“magnus bane,” he greeted, looking magnus up and down. magnus felt a little self-conscious despite himself—he was in a silk robe with only boxers underneath, and his silly round sunglasses perched on his face. but most of all, he was magicless. bare.

despite this, he maintained an aura of complete boredom.

“lorenzo,” he said. “did you want a drink? because i’m not getting up to make you one.”

lorenzo sneered. “if i wanted a drink, i’d summon it myself,” he said. “that’s not what this is about.”

“then what _are_ you wasting my time with?” magnus asked, rolling his eyes.

“you know what,” lorenzo said almost gleefully. “you attacked the high warlock of brooklyn during your little crusade, bane. that’s a big no-no.”

“and?”

“and you’re disgraced enough, don’t you think?” lorenzo said. “but oh, well. i’m hereby banishing you from new york. you have a week to get your affairs in order and leave.”

magnus’s mind was racing. fuck. fuck. _fuck._ he did not need this right now.

he swung his legs over the side of the chair, standing.

“i invoke the rite of combat,” he said.

“…you what?” lorenzo asked sharply, abruptly stilling with surprise.

“you heard me,” magnus said, calmly raising an eyebrow.

“that is a _warlock_ tradition,” lorenzo hissed. “and _you,_ bane, are no longer a warlock.”

“well, by that logic you can’t banish me,” magnus said calmly. “i’m not your jurisdiction. but that hardly matters, because you’re wrong. i’m _hardly_ mundane.”

he tipped his sunglasses down, revealing his eyes. “my magic is cut off, not gone.”

“but you’ll never use it again,” lorenzo said impatiently, masking his unease at the sight of magnus’s still-golden eyes. “and this is a _magical_ duel.”

“then you’ll have the advantage, won’t you?” magnus said, meeting his gaze evenly.

he knew it was too good a chance for lorenzo to pass up.

an opportunity to humiliate magnus in front of everyone? defeat him and prove his strength?

not to mention he knew that normally, magnus could wipe the floor with him. but like this, his powerful magic cut off? lorenzo would think he didn’t stand a chance. an easy victory. a win-win.

(lorenzo should have taken magnus’s confidence as a warning—instead he took it for desperation, and dismissed any doubts, too enchanted with the idea of taking his rival down permanently, practically drunk on his own victory before he even won it.) 

magnus could practically see the moment lorenzo processed this, and the oily, smug grin was back.

“your challenge is accepted,” he said. “you know where to go. tomorrow, at midnight. no cheating.”

he smirked, and then he waved a hand and a portal appeared behind him.

and then he was gone.

magnus stopped holding back his own grin.

now _this_ was going to be fun.

 

* * *

 

when alec got up, magnus was in a suspiciously cheerful mood.

he walked into the kitchen only to be met with magnus _humming._

he was making breakfast, bustling around the small kitchen and busying himself with filling two plates.

whatever it was, it smelled delicious—coming closer, alec could see it was bacon, eggs, and toast.

he came up behind magnus, winding his arms around his waist. he pressed a kiss to the side of magnus’s head. “morning, love,” he said. “you seem happy.”

magnus set down the plates, leaning back into alec’s arms slightly.

alec was, of course, overjoyed to see his boyfriend smiling again, but wary of what had caused it so abruptly. he hoped to raziel it was good news.

magnus grinned, tipping his head to the side to kiss alec properly.

alec kissed him back, hands gently rubbing up his lower stomach. magnus was relaxed under his touch, less tense then he’d been in—well. weeks. particularly this last week.

“any particular reason _why_ you’re so cheerful?” alec murmured as he pulled away, lips still inches away from magnus’s.

magnus’s eyes were sparkling, no contacts obscuring their true colors.

“well, i don’t have a solution to my little problem, if that’s what you’re asking,” magnus said, a little too lightly. “but i do have an opportunity to let off a little steam.”

“oh?” alec asked, shifting and pulling away slightly so he could stand in front of magnus, arms still loosely wrapped around him.

“lorenzo rey just tried to banish me,” magnus said.

“what?” alec asked, sharp and surprised. his mind was already racing with ideas, trying to figure out how he could help magnus—logically, he knew magnus likely had a handle on it, but he couldn’t help it. he couldn’t bear the idea of magnus being banished—gone. he wanted to help.

“don’t worry, darling,” magnus said. “i invoked the rite of combat.”

“the what?” alec asked. he felt a little dumb, just repeating the same questions, but he was both curious and worried. alec knew, of course, what “rite of combat” sounded like, but he had no idea how it would work in this context.

after all, he didn’t know much about warlock politics other than the little he’d picked up around magnus and at downworlder cabinet meetings. the clave didn’t exactly educate them much on how downworlders regulated themselves, only on how they were to deal with them.

“if i can defeat lorenzo in a one-on-one magical duel, then the banishment is null and void. i know it sounds ridiculous, but—well, it’s part of being high warlock. usually, you’ve got to be powerful enough to deal with this sort of thing.”

“i bet you never had a problem,” alec laughed.

“no,” magnus admitted. “few dared challenge me, and all failed.”

“i can see one problem,” alec said. “i know you’re badass, but how are you going to defeat that dick in a magical duel without your magic?”

magnus truly appreciated that alec wasn’t walking on eggshells around him.

“i have a plan,” magnus said. “don’t worry about me, alexander. i’m not going anywhere.”

“i don’t doubt you,” alec said, leaning down to kiss him again.

 if magnus said it was taken care of, he had no doubt it was.

“that being said,” magnus said, sliding his arms around alec and pressing closer. “i could use a little practice. maybe some training with my favorite warrior…?”

“you wanna spar?” alec asked, his grin growing.

“i wanna spar,” magnus agreed, kissing him softly.

alec let himself get lost in the kiss, smiling against magnus’s lips.

they eventually separated. “after breakfast,” magnus said. “it’ll get cold.”

alec reluctantly stepped back. “it smells delicious,” he said.

magnus beamed at him. “thank you,” he said.

he hadn’t made food by hand in a while, but he was getting back into it. he’d missed making things like this, the smell and the texture and the easy rhythm of moving around the kitchen. it was almost like potion making, except it smelled considerably better and he could eat it at the end.

they sat down together, side by side at the kitchen counter, shoulders brushing, eating and talking.

it was a good morning.

magnus was feeling a little better.

it wasn’t a cure-all, but the thought of showing that smug dick that even like this, even powerless, magnus could kick his ass… it had, admittedly, cheered him up. even if only temporarily.

 

* * *

 

magnus had a training room set up in his loft. it was small, but large enough for them to spar in.

they’d sparred before, so they both prepared with ease. they’d decided on hand-to-hand combat, as magnus wouldn’t be allowed a weapon when he faced off against lorenzo.

to be perfectly honest, this likely wouldn’t help prepare him much.

lorenzo and alec weren’t exactly going to have similar attacks, nor could alec throw magical attacks for magnus to practice dodging.

but it was fun and good exercise and it wouldn’t hurt to hone his battle instincts and practice throwing a punch.

not to mention if he could hold his own fighting an elite warrior who’d been trained to kill since birth he could probably dodge some fire from a warlock too focused on magic to throw a punch.

he finished pulling on his training outfit and emerged, facing alec from across the room.

soon magnus was standing in only black shorts and a plain muscle shirt. he’d taken off all of his jewelry and most of his makeup—he hadn’t much of it on anyway, as it was still morning.

alec couldn’t help but stare. he looked gorgeous (as always) and his muscles were on full display.

magnus was similarly distracted by alec in his usual training outfit—it didn’t leave much to the imagination, either. it was very nice.

that was one disadvantage they shared when they sparred—being distracted.

of course, they were both fighters and they could both push it aside, but they’d been known to distract each other with kisses or well-placed touches to win a fight.

magnus was determined not to this time, though. no distractions.

he knew alec had the advantage—while magnus had had hundreds of years to train, he’d only done it on and off in his spare time, enough to be fit and experienced but not with the same consistent and field-tested vigor as alec had.

of course, he’d been in fights involving physical sparring before, but generally magnus tended to fight more with his magic.

meanwhile, alec had been on the battlefield practically every day from a very young age, and had trained specifically with no other advantages for physical battle.

however, when taking into account magnus’s strength and experience, they were near evenly matched. while alec won more often than not, if only barely, it was usually by a very slim margin. magnus was not easily taken down, after all, even without his magic.

“you ready?” alec asked, grinning at him from across the training area.

magnus grinned back. “do your worst,” he said.

alec stepped forward, and so did magnus. they circled each other, both hesitant to make the first move.

then magnus lunged forward, aiming to sweep alec’s long legs out from under it.

alec seemed to have anticipated it, because he dodged before magnus could make contact.

soon they were easily trading blows, dodging and moving and stepping. they both moved swiftly and gracefully, landing blows and inexplicably managing to move the fight all over the room.

multiple times one of them would hit the ground only to get back up again, rolling to their feet before the other could reach them or jumping up and retaliating.

magnus lost track of time. they could have spent ten minutes like this or hours, and magnus wouldn’t know because he was lost in the pounding of his blood.

fighting with alec was almost like a dance. moving in and out, being intimate and close to his skin one second and far away and ready for another blow the next. trading hits both physical and verbal, bantering playfully and attempting to distract and gain advantage.

it took his breath away, left him sweaty and loose and worn out and panting, and it was _perfect._

magnus didn’t know how long they’d been doing this—time was only marked by the short breaks they took to get water and exchange quick, chaste kisses—when he finally found himself like this:

breath knocked from his chest, back slammed against the floor, hands pinned above his head, and alec’s whole weight on top of him.

alec beamed down at him. his face was inches from magnus’s. magnus could feel his breath.

“i win,” he said.

magnus squirmed slightly, trying to find a way out of alec’s grip, but his hands were pinned and alec’s weight held him fast.

they were both out of breath. magnus felt a little bruised, and he was certainly sweaty and worked up.

really worked up.

he impulsively leaned up and kissed alec.

alec made a surprised noise but kissed back, grip on his hands slackening. one even came down to cup his face.

magnus took advantage of this to, using all of his strength, flip them over. he was now straddling alec, feeling very pleased with himself.

“ _i_ win,” he said.

“that’s cheating,” alec protested, but he pulled magnus down for another kiss.

magnus pulled away almost immediately. “not until you admit i won,” he said playfully.

“mm… nope,” alec said. “you cheated. doesn’t count.”

magnus leaned back. “well then i guess i’m not kissing you,” he said.

“fine,” alec said, smirking, “guess i’ll just have to kiss you myself.”

what magnus hadn’t noticed as he’d rolled them over—too busy reveling in his victory—was that alec’s leg happened to be in prime position for leverage—in order to do what he was about to do.

that being, magnus’s own dirty trick.

he flipped them over.

magnus yelped as he was pinned against the floor again, back flat on the floor. alec leaned down and kissed him.

magnus looked rather grumpy but accepted the kiss. alec didn’t slacken his grip this time.

he pulled back, still pinning magnus. “i win,” he repeated.

“you win,” magnus conceded. “now let me go, my arms are getting a little sore.”

alec let go, getting off of him and letting him stretch.

magnus sat up and stretched like a cat, making a rather pleased groan as his muscles flared pleasantly. a good sparring session left him worked up and pleasantly sore, and that had been a _damn_ good sparring session.

“you always give me a run for my money,” alec said, standing. he offered a hand for magnus to take to help him up. “you were really close to having me there.”

“i’ve had you before,” magnus said. he wiggled his eyebrows, taking alec’s hand and allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

alec rolled his eyes, but he looked amused. “we’ve both had each other multiple times,” he said. “in multiple ways.”

“in multiple places,” magnus added, laughing.

“speaking of which,” alec said, drawing closer, playful smirk beginning to grow on his lips. “i don’t know about you, but i’ve got some tension to let off.”

magnus grinned. “you want to _have me_ again?”

“if you’re up for it.”

“i’m _always_ up for it,” magnus winked.

“mm… good,” alec said, and he pulled magnus in for a kiss.

it was warm and soft and—well, it wasn’t quite making out, but there was a little tongue.

magnus loved it.

despite everything that was going on, magnus felt light for the first time in a while.

 

and later, he would be laid out on the bed trembling and moaning as alec sucked him off, and then he’d return the favor.

and then they cuddled, lying close together in a tangle of limbs, alec’s breath warm on magnus’s cheek.

and then magnus would drift off, pressed into alec’s side and curled in his arms, wrapped around alec and in his embrace.

all in all, it was a good night.

 

* * *

 

he slept deeply, and for once, nightmares didn’t touch him.

in fact, neither of them stirred from slumber until fairly late in the morning, where they were woken by a loud noise.

there was a knock on the door. magnus only barely stopped himself from lifting a hand to magic it open.

he groaned, turning his face back into alec’s chest. he was sleepy and relaxed and he certainly didn’t want to get up.

“magnus!”

magnus sighed, untangling himself from alec and pulling himself into a sitting position.

alec grumbled, sleepily attempting to tug magnus back into his arms.

magnus was extremely tempted to let himself slump back into alec’s embrace, but just as he was considering it, the knocking came again.

“i know you’re there, magnus!” came the voice again. “open up!”

it was muffled, but magnus was pretty sure he recognized it.

he pulled himself away completely, however reluctant, and stood. they’d fallen asleep naked and cuddling, so he had to retrieve a silk robe before opening the door.

catarina stood outside, looking rather worried and upset. “magnus,” she said in relief. he stepped aside to allow her entrance.

“i heard what you did,” she said, walking past him.

he closed the door. “good morning to you, too,” he said.

she sighed. she didn’t look irritated or angry, just worried. “i’m sorry, i just—a duel? a _magical_ duel? magnus, what are you thinking?”

“it’s better than being forced out of my home,” magnus shrugged. “coffee?”

“tell me you have a plan,” she said. “please.”

“i have a plan,” magnus said dutifully.

“…are you lying to make me feel better?”

“only half,” magnus admitted. “it’s less of a plan and more of a vague idea of how i’m going to wing it.”

“i hope you know what you’re doing,” catarina said softly.

magnus knew what she was thinking. that this was yet another thing he seemed to be losing lately. but he wasn’t going to let this go.

“i know what i’m doing,” magnus said, his hand over hers. his voice was soft and sincere, his eyes warm and reassuring.

“look at you,” she huffed, but she didn’t pull away. “reassuring _me._ you’re the one in danger here, magnus.”

magnus shrugged. “i’m pretty sure i’m going to win,” he said.

“that, i don’t doubt.” she said, laughing a little, finally relaxing. “i’ll be there to watch you knock that dick on his ass. and i’ll also be there to heal you if you do something stupid.”

“when am i not doing something stupid?” magnus said, half joking and half bitter. “i’m a stupid old man, cat.”

“you may do stupid things sometimes, magnus, but you’re hardly a stupid man,” catarina said. “you’re one of the smartest people i know.”

alec walked slowly into the room, still a little dazed from sleep. “she’s right, you know,” he said, bending down to kiss his cheek as he passed.

he went to the kitchen, likely to make some coffee.

“except for in your love life,” catarina whispered. “your shadowhunter is here _now?”_

magnus shook his head fondly. “we practically live together, cat, of course he was here. we were sleeping when you knocked.”

“live togeth—were you sleeping, or _sleeping?”_

“ _sleeping,_ just sleeping. _really,_ catarina.”

“is that where you got those bruises from?” she asked, raising an eyebrow and gesturing to a bruise on his side that was peeking out from under the shirt he was wearing. “ _sleeping?”_

magnus laughed. “no, no—a few hickeys, yes, but no bruises. that’s from sparring.”

“sparring? really? right before your big fight?”

magnus shrugged. “i thought i could use some practice,” he said.

“and it makes excellent foreplay.”

“ _right?”_ magnus said, grinning.

“how bad are those bruises, anyway?” she asked.

“oh, it’s nothing—”

she reached forward and gently pulled up his shirt.

he didn’t pull away, but he winced as she touched it. his skin was blotched by a deep, colorful mass of bruises. the thought of someone doing to this to him infuriated her.

“jesus, your shadowhunter did this?” she asked, voice tight around the edges like she was ready to march into the kitchen and do something violent.

“no,” magnus protested. “well, sort of, but he didn’t know i already had a bruise there from a run-in with some demons.”

before she could say anything else to that, alec came back in (apparently he’d been lingering in the doorway and neither of them had noticed) with two mugs, setting them down gently on the coffee table.

“why didn’t you say something?” he said.

“didn’t want to worry you,” magnus said dismissively. “also didn’t want you to go easy on me. lorenzo won’t.”

alec sat by his other side. “magnus, i don’t want to hurt you. you should have at least gotten that looked at or bandaged before sparring.”

“you’re one to talk,” magnus grumbled. “how many times have you come home from patrols hiding your latest wound?”

“because i don’t want you to waste energy on me when i’ll be _fine,”_ alec argued. “and i don’t immediately challenge you to a fight when i do.”

“so you can handle it but i can’t?”

“that’s not what i said,” alec said. “i just—i worry about you. and i don’t ever want to hurt you. that’s all.”

magnus sighed. “i know. but really, it’s not a big deal.”

“see? even your boytoy agrees you should get healing. especially with your duel with lorenzo coming up.” catarina said, raising her eyebrows.

they both startled slightly, like they’d forgotten she was here.

“seriously, magnus, take your shirt off.”

magnus sighed but pulled his shirt over his head, wrestling with it for a moment before getting it fully off and throwing it aside. alec picked it up from where it landed on the floor.

catarina called her magic to her hands, examining the wound more closely.

“you should probably lie back,” she said, not looking up from the wound. when he didn’t immediately do so, she glanced up—past him, to alec. “you might have to get up, shadowhunter.”

magnus rolled his eyes. before alec could get up, he lay back, his upper body draped across alec’s lap. “this is fine,” he said. “i’m perfectly comfortable.”

catarina pursed her lips a little, but said nothing.

her hands drew closer to the colorfully bruised skin, magic slowly settling over it. the light was prickling and cool against him.

the closer she looked, the worse it seemed—some parts of his skin were scraped away. some scrapes were light and superficial, others deeper. and yet he’d barely shown any outward hints of his injuries until she’d forced him to show her.

her friend was always getting into so much trouble—and he was so used to being hurt, it seemed the pain barely registered.

(catarina kind of hated that—magnus was so strong, and she admired that, but he deserved better than to simply be used to pain.

but then, many downworlders were—including her. it was, unfortunately, not a rare trait.)

she shook these thoughts away and instead focused on monitoring exactly how bad it was and what she needed to heal, gentle magic sweeping over him but not quite touching.

“you really need to stop getting into fights,” she said. “one of these days, i’m going to be too busy to heal you.”

magnus laughed. “you’re always too busy. you’re just a very good friend.”

she smirked. “wait till i get to the difficult part,” she said. “this shit hurts, you know.”

monitoring now done, catarina knew she had to focus on the deepest parts first, making sure his blood was flowing normally and everything was healing right.

she lowered her magic, focusing on mending the layers of skin and muscle.

“cat, you know you don’t have to—son of a _bitch.”_

“i told you it would hurt,” catarina said, not unkindly. “and of course i know i don’t have to, silly man. you’d do the same for me in a heartbeat. and you have—remember prague? a few decades ago?”

“oh, i remember,” magnus laughed. “you punched that man, the bad painter, and his friends came along to help him out—he’d been harassing the singer at the club that day.”

“mm, she was a beauty,” catarina reminisced. “and very grateful i’d chased him and his goons off.”

“ _very,”_ magnus said, wiggling his eyebrows. “what was her name?”

“lily,” catarina said. “nice girl. she’s still around, you know, her daughter works at the hospital i work at. has no idea who i am, of course.”

he was beginning to relax again, the initial pain fading to a slight sting as catarina’s magic did its work. he was still wincing, but he kept his expressions under control.

(it didn’t hurt that he could feel alec’s steady warmth below him, his warm fingers running through his hair and gently massaging his scalp. it was soothing, relaxing, and between that and the familiar, playful banter with catarina, magnus felt comfortable and safe.)

alec listened to all this with curiosity. it was nice, learning little things about magnus’s past and his friends. and for some reason, it sort of surprised him catarina liked women—he’d never really met many people who were like him.

there was magnus, of course, and underhill—and he had his suspicions about isabelle. but he hadn’t really met very many people who he knew were also gay. or bisexual. or—what was it called? lgbt+? that.

but figures magnus’s friends would be.

it wasn’t a bad thing. actually, it was rather—nice.

and anyway, even if catarina clearly didn’t like him—he wasn’t sure he could blame her, really—she seemed nice, and she was important to magnus. they were clearly close.

and he’d rarely seen magnus as relaxed and comfortable as he was now, even if he was clearly wincing as the magic burned on his wounds. clearly he trusted catarina a great deal (alec had already guessed this by how he’d always talked of her, but it was nice to see) and so alec trusted her, too.

alec kept idly playing with magnus’s hair—going by the way magnus tipped his head into it, alec was pretty sure he was enjoying it—and said nothing.

he listened silently a little longer as they bantered back and forth, reminiscing and teasing—magnus would sometimes throw in dates or a little more explanation than necessary and alec knew he was doing it for his benefit. catarina likely knew too, but she said nothing.

soon, the bruises and scrapes that had marred his side were mostly healed, and catarina finally let the light in her hands die.

normally, she might have used a potion, but the wound wasn’t life-threatening and her specialty had always been healing magic, anyway. it wasn’t like she was anything but well-rested and at full-power, and she had nowhere else to be, anyway. it was her day off.

(when she’d mentioned this to magnus, he’d swatted her and asked why she’d want to spend one of her rare days off healing him. she’d said that she liked to spend her free time with her best friend, healing or not, and he’d quieted at that.)

 

* * *

 

they spent the night talking—alec mostly kept to the background, although magnus kept him close and included him enough that he didn’t feel too awkward sitting there with them. catarina even seemed to slowly warm to him, although she still didn’t trust him.

but soon, it was nearly time.

duels such as this took place in the spiral colosseum.

it was an ancient arena hidden in some very, very old rainforest in austraila. it was one of the last warlock sanctuaries in the world—it could be used as a stronghold in emergencies, as it was extremely well hidden and layered with thousands and thousands of ancient magical wards.

many had been added over the years, some by visitors like graffiti on a wall. magnus could even feel his own tethered to the stone, a painful echo of what he was missing.

they all cracked and crashed together in a strange cacophony, the ancient underlying wards keeping them from destroying each other. layers and layers upon layers, all built on a foundation of ancient stone and fire and trees. 

the magic was so old it had grown wild, curled into the roots and cracks of the stone and trees around it. it was thick and hot in the air, tingling and prickling at his skin like the faintest needlepoint.

the whole place seemed alive, and the trees around it seemed to watch you through the walls.

there was something bittersweet about feeling this much magic around him, breathing it in and feeling it in his bones. even though he’d lost his magical core, he could still _feel_ it. feel it in a way that non-warlocks couldn’t.

some seelies had a sense of it, especially the older ones, but their magic was different. more natural. colder and more ancient, but with so much less fire and demonic core.

shadowhunters, mundanes—even vampires and werewolves. they would never understand what it was like to feel a place like this breathing in your ears, settling in your very blood, calling to you.

alec wasn’t allowed in such a sacred place—he protested, but magnus was firm. even if he’d managed to get away with bringing alec at all, it was a scandal he probably couldn’t afford.

he loved alec, but this was something he had to do alone.

“you ready for this?” catarina asked from behind him.

well, not completely alone.

“completely,” magnus answered her, grinning with his teeth bared.

 

even though it seemed silly, a petty duel over one territory in the americas, it was a fairly big deal. oh, sure, it was hardly a worldwide event, and the colosseum was nowhere near full capacity. but plenty were curious about this fight—a magicless warlock dueling his usurper.

some came to see magnus bane brought to his knees. others came to see lorenzo rey brought to _his._

others came out of curiosity.

magnus knew bets were being placed.

he cracked his knuckles, breathing deeply. he had to be ready for this.

he stepped forward, into the ring.

lorenzo, across the room, stepped forward as well.

magnus shed his leather jacket. his muscles flexed a little. lorenzo didn’t seem to notice.

magnus looked immaculate, not a hair out of place, his cat eyes on full display and sharply contrasted with the kohl lining them.

lorenzo let his magic gather in his palms, eager to start. he couldn’t wait to humiliate his rival, take him down and prove his strength once and for all.

and he had nothing to fear, did he? the great magnus bane was powerless now.

“you know the rules,” lorenzo said, voice raised so that all could hear him. “we fight until one of us yields or is unable to continue. no killing, and no help from outsiders. you are challenging me for the right to stay in new york. do you accept the risks, and the price should you fail?”

“i accept,” magnus said. his voice was cool, his expression blank.

“good,” lorenzo said, smirking. “then we can begin.”

he lobbed a ball of fire without warning.

_rude._

but not illegal.

magnus dodged with ease.

lorenzo rolled his eyes. he had expected bane to draw this out, after all—he was desperate, and he’d already lost everything. perhaps it was a little cruel to kick a man while he was down, but lorenzo had never cared for him. and anyway, he was quite literally asking for it.

he threw another blast. magnus calmly sidestepped it, face as expressionless as it had been from the beginning.

lorenzo clenched his fists, letting more fire gather along his fingers. he thrust his arms violently upwards, causing walls of fire to erupt around magnus—or where magnus had been a second ago.

he’d elegantly rolled away a second before the attack had hit.

lorenzo growled, letting the fire dissipate and concentrating another beam of magic towards magnus, this time aiming a little to his left—the same direction magnus always dodged.

magnus avoided it with grace.

lorenzo was beginning to get a little pissed off.

he erratically threw more fireballs and lightning bolts, circling around magnus and attempting to catch him off guard, trying to make his attacks unpredictable.

and yet, it seemed no matter what, magnus kept effortlessly weaving around and under his blows. occasionally he’d have to roll out of the way, but it was always infuriatingly graceful and calm.

even the few times he was hit, he merely brushed it off, barely even wincing at whatever burn or scrape he’d gained.

lorenzo hadn’t realized that magnus had been getting closer and closer until he was a little more than a foot away. he was still insufferably untouched, hair barely ruffled, his makeup perfect. in fact, the only signs he’d been fighting were a few small burns on his side and leg, a tear in the fabric of his sleeve, and a smudge of dirt across his cheekbone.

lorenzo roared, charging a massive attack with his magic. he knew what to do—an attack magnus couldn’t dodge. a magical explosion from all sides radiating outwards. there was no way anyone, even the great magnus bane, could get out of the blast radius in time.

but as the blindingly bright light radiated from his fists, rippling around his body, magnus pulled back his arm and punched him in the face.

lorenzo stumbled back with a cry, the light extinguished in his shock. his nose was bleeding. “you hit me!”

magnus tilted his head, finally allowing a smile to grace his lips. “they never said i had to take you down with magic,” he said, and then in one swift move he swept lorenzo’s legs from under him.

lorenzo yelped in surprise, but before he could even respond, his hands were pinned in a grip so tight he couldn’t move his fingers and he was in a headlock, gasping for air.

magnus had easily overtaken him, as if he were some sort of professional wrestler and he did this every day.

(lorenzo had never thought about the fact that magnus bane had broad shoulders and a rather muscular physique. he himself didn’t know much hand to hand combat—he was an expert at magic, and he’d never had need for any other means of fighting. he knew swordplay fairly well, and he could hold his own in a good bar fight, but he’d hardly expected this in a _magical duel.)_

“do you yield?” magnus asked calmly.

lorenzo struggled in his grip, but try as he might he couldn’t move his hands enough to cast a spell, and his windpipe was constricted enough he knew he wouldn’t be able to talk long enough articulate any useful spells.

“do you _yield?”_ magnus persisted.

lorenzo choked as his grip tightened.

there was a moment of tense silence, only the sound of his struggling ringing through the air.

finally…

“i yield!” he cried hoarsely. “i yield.”      

the pressure was gone in an instant and magnus was off him, on his feet in second.

he dusted off his shirt, looking rather pleased with himself.

the crowd gaped.

magnus had taken down a powerful warlock without an ounce of magic himself.

lorenzo, still sprawled out on the ground, coughed a few times.

magnus waited patiently, keeping still despite the overwhelming urge to scream _take that, asshole!_ or hug catarina or jump into alec’s arms or to just generally celebrate his victory.

lorenzo got to his feet, attempting to gather his dignity and maintain his unbothered, smug persona, despite just having his ass thoroughly kicked by someone at a distinct disadvantage.

magnus surveyed the crowd. catarina was grinning widely. the rest of them seemed to be torn between amusement, shock, and thoughtfulness. he saw a few faces that looked as sour as lorenzo’s, but generally they seemed fine with his little bending of the rules.

he saw money changing hands. catarina looked very smug as a disgruntled man that magnus recognized as fracois drake hand her a rather large roll of cash and small vial of something that looked purple.

he also saw what looked to be rufus very happily taking some cash from a woman in a red dress that he didn’t recognize.

lorenzo, across from him, cleared his throat.

as the current high warlock, lorenzo was expected to announce the winner.

magnus wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was enjoying this.

“magnus bane,” lorenzo said as he approached, gritting his teeth. “you have won your right to stay in the city.”

“thank you,” magnus said, voice pointedly respectful and polite. he could practically see lorenzo seething.

he held out his hand, a traditional offer of peace. lorenzo took it, because there was nothing else he could do. he leaned forward so that only magnus could hear him.

“i’m still watching you,” lorenzo hissed under his breath as they shook hands. “don’t think this is over. i _will_ get rid of you.”

magnus rolled his eyes. “somehow, i doubt that.”

he let go and stepped back, head held high.

the fight was over. he hadn’t lost his home.

 

behind him, lorenzo glared a hole in his back.

it took everything in him not to throw a blow at his exposed back. he knew that would be unwise, even if was tempting.

but bane had just humiliated him, and worse, was going to be staying in his territory!

he knew he couldn’t complain to the spiral labyrinth—bane had won, fair and square. it had been lorenzo’s job to keep the peace and hold his authority, and he’d lost.

but this wasn’t the end.

lorenzo would have his revenge.

 

the crowd began dispersing, the show over. there wasn’t much fanfare to be had—magnus had won, so he was allowed to stay.

it was a rare event, sure, but it was clear-cut and there was nothing to be done about it. any drama that may come about as a result would likely be drawn out and slow, not immediate, so there was nothing to stay for.

lorenzo portalled away, looking very pissed and avoiding magnus’s gaze.

magnus walked over to catarina, extremely pleased with himself.

“i didn’t doubt you once,” catarina said, grinning.

“i can tell from your winnings,” magnus laughed.

“did you see his _face?”_ she said. “that was amazing. i wish i could have taken a picture.”

“we should probably get to alec,” magnus said, smiling. “he’s probably worried out of his mind.”

she raised an eyebrow. “lover boy doesn’t have faith?”

“not a lack of faith,” magnus said. “he just worries about the people he loves.”

he sounded slightly distant and a little sappy.

catarina sighed fondly. “if you insist,” she said. she opened a portal to where they’d left magnus’s shadowhunter (which was his office in the institute), where alec was no doubt anxiously waiting and attempting to distract himself with paperwork, and went through.

magnus took one last look around the colosseum, breathing in the magic-saturated air.

then he turned and followed.

 

 

alec was waiting there when he arrived.

“how badly did you kick his ass?” alec asked as the portal closed with a _whoosh_ behind him. “are you hurt?”

“relax, lightwood,” catarina said. “if he’d been seriously hurt i would have healed him already.”

“he went down with like, one punch,” magnus informed gleefully.

“magnus put him in a headlock,” catarina added. “the look on his face was pretty hilarious. also, i won over a thousand dollars betting our boy would win.”

 _our boy._ yeah, that wasn’t entirely wrong. magnus grinned.  

“i knew you’d kick his ass,” alec said happily. “i wish i could have seen it.”

“and here i thought you’d be pacing a hole in the institute floors,” magnus teased.

“oh, i was,” alec said shamelessly. “i was pretty sure you’d wipe the floor with him, but i didn’t know if you’d get hurt in the process or if he’d pull something dirty.”

“honestly, i thought it was going to be harder than it was,” magnus said, head held high and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. “i had figured lorenzo would at least know how to throw a punch.”

catarina laughed. “i’m not too surprised,” she said.

alec spoke up. “lorenzo is best with politics and laws and words, not battle. he’s not specialized in battle magic or combat, let alone mundane combat. he’s a survivor, sure, but not necessarily through force.  not to mention he was underestimating you because he expects you, like many other warlocks, to be reliant on your magic. challenging him to a fight was a very clever choice.”

he didn’t sound surprised, either, just calm and observant and… almost proud of magnus.

seeing them staring, he blinked. “what? i did my research on him. i figured you were going to hand his ass to him on a platter, but i wanted a little background. you’re much more… adaptable.”

magnus smiled. oddly, alec’s little analysis seemed utterly endearing. “adaptable, huh?”

“yeah,” alec said easily. “you don’t rely on any one skill. you’re tough and adaptable and you’re smart as hell. not to mention since you’re naturally a kind and friendly person, you’ve made a lot of allies. i could probably go on, but… really? magic or no, you’re the most powerful man i know.”

“flirt,” magnus said, but the way he ducked his head to hide a smile told alec he actually was flattered.

“complimenting your boyfriend by performing a threat assessment,” catarina snorted. “not bad.”

well, boyfriend was a step up from boytoy.

“not _threat_ —” alec began, but magnus stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“i think it’s sweet,” magnus said pointedly. “and anyway, you’re plenty powerful yourself, alexander. skilled fighter, badass demon hunter, head of the institute? you command any room you walk into.”

 _even the bedroom,_ he thought. alec looked like he knew exactly what he was thinking and huffed a short laugh.

“not sure i compare to you, but thanks.”

“hey, hey—no comparing. we’re totally a power couple. together we can rule the world.”

“world domination—on the list of things you promised me you wouldn’t try without me,” catarina interjected.

“you’d be our second in command,” alec said. “obviously. isabelle would be our third.”

“what about jace?” magnus asked, raising an eyebrow.

“i love my brother, but he should be nowhere near any command positions,” alec said dryly. “ever.”

“fair,” magnus agreed.

“are we going to hang around in this place all day, or are we going to go back to magnus’s for a drink?” catarina asked.

“it’s literally past midnight,” alec said.

“it’s always happy hour somewhere,” catarina said. magnus laughed, like this was some sort of in-joke.

“come on,” magnus said. he made an aborted motion to make a portal before quickly hiding it, hoping neither of them noticed. or at least that they wouldn’t say anything.

they didn’t. catarina lifted a hand and made a gesture, opening a swirling portal.

she went through immediately, but the portal remained open.

“hey, uh. magnus.” alec caught his arm, stopping him from stepping through.

magnus paused, waiting for him to continue.

“i would have stayed with you, you know.”

“what?”

“if this—hadn’t happened, if it hadn’t worked. i would have gone with you, wherever you went.”

magnus shifted to face him more fully. “what about your life here?”

“you’re my life, magnus. i love you.”

he meant it. he’d miss izzy and jace, even if he could visit them or they could visit him—knowing them, they’d probably try to transfer to the institute in whatever city they went to. but he loved magnus and he had no intention of ever leaving him, especially not now.

“…i wouldn’t want to leave here,” magnus said. “it’s been my home for a few decades now. but that you’d have come with me… it means more than i can say.”

he smiled at alec, and alec leaned forward and kissed him. light and chaste and sweet.

magnus was smiling when they parted.

catarina stepped back out of the portal. “are you two making out? come on, let’s go,” she said, but she sounded less impatient and more reluctantly amused. they were a cute couple, even if she had her doubts.

“of course, dear,” magnus said, and with one last smile at alec he went through it without hesitation. he could use a drink after all this—in celebration, of course.

alec followed after a moment, and then catarina. and then the portal closed and the office was silent.

 

* * *

 

the next few days were mostly uneventful.

magnus was still getting used to the lack of magic—that wasn’t going to go away any time soon, after centuries of constant use. he felt like he’d lost a leg, and now he had phantom pains, ghosts of the power he once held haunting his limbs.

but alec was there for him. and so was catarina. and there were others, too, who seemed to sympathize—he hadn’t thought that many people would care. but when the news got out, apparently more people were upset then he realized.

he’d assumed he’d be attacked now that he vulnerable—catarina and dot had teamed up to weave some strong wards of his own design around his apartment, as well as a few protective charms—but instead it seemed there was an influx of support.

luke, meliorn, and countless warlocks and downworlders stopped by or sent him well wishes and little gifts of protective charms and flowers. when he’d voiced this odd phenomenon, catarina had laughed and said _you touch more lives than you think, magnus._

 

and now he was sitting on the couch with alec, having a night in. they’d ordered takeout and were now about to relax and enjoy a movie marathon together.

they had hardly poured the first drinks when there was an urgent, consistent knocking at the door.

magnus sighed, untangling himself from alec’s side and standing gracefully. “i’ll get it,” he said.

it sucked having to answer the door manually. the little things like this without his magic were annoying.

he opened the door and clary and jace rushed in.

“we fucked up, we fucked up, we fucked up,” clary was crying.

jace looked stoic and pissed.

“what happened?” magnus asked, putting a hand on clary’s shoulders.

“we were—we were just trying to fix everything,” clary sobbed. “the mark, and, and the owl—we thought it left something behind, and simon still had that mark, and we just wanted everything to be okay again, and—”

she was hardly coherent. magnus pulled her into a hug, hands rubbing her back gently. “calm down, okay, biscuit?” he said softly, soothingly. “how about i get you some tea, you can tell me all about this in a minute, okay?”

she nodded against his shoulder. he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt. he almost made to move but she clung tighter to him, not wanting to let go just yet.

she’d hardly admit it, but magnus was a comforting figure to her. he was older and wiser and stronger and even if she sometimes ignored his advice—well, often, but he usually ended up being right and _oh god why hadn’t she listened—_ she trusted him. he was like an eccentric uncle or the older brother she never had.

“what’s going on?” she heard alec’s voice, close by. he sounded concerned.

although she couldn’t see it, jace looked up at them grimly. “we summoned asmodeous.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> me? back to long song lyric titles? you bet, baby. this one's from "let's kill tonight" by panic! at the disco
> 
> i almost called this "he's beauty, he's grace, he'll punch you in the face" like seriously it took all of my self control not to because this is a Serious Series™  
> also i've been mentally calling this one "the agni kai fic" lol 
> 
> ok but seriously the whole idea was "magnus gets in a magic fight and instead of magicking them he just fuckign decks them and they're KO'd"  
> it's like that scene in indiana jones where the dude swings his sword around super fancy and elaborate to show off how Talented And Deadly he is and then indiana just shoots the dude and walks off? it's like that. yeah.
> 
> and lol so far catarina is Not Impressed with alec. i mean, can you blame her? don't get me wrong, i love alec, but magnus's life has kind of gone to shit because of his association with alec and his friends. and again, that's not really alec's fault--all of things he did were pretty much magnus's own choice, because he's a kind and selfless person and he did what he thought was right, but you can see why catarina would be concerned. not to mention alec is a shadowhunter--and therefore part of a group of people who have oppressed, slaughtered, and generally been complete and total pieces of shit to downworlders. her people, magnus's people.  
> like don't get me wrong (again lol) alec and cat could totally be good friends, but like. i never got how some fics have them meet and just immediately be bffs cat loves him and everything is great. maybe in a mundane au, but like. i feel like that just doesn't make sense in canon. not to mention fics wherein cat lectures magnus on being "mean" to alec or "foolish for letting someone so Good go" during their breakup or whatever. puh- _lease._  
>  ANYWAYS im not bitter what??  
> but at the same time i feel like maybe i wrote her a bit... Off. i don't write catarina very often (i love her so much but i always have trouble pinning down her exact characterization tbh) so i'm still getting used to like, getting her right, you know?  
> not to mention i'm trying not to just make her "magnus's bff who heals him whenever he needs it" because No she is her own person. but she's also a side character in a magnus-centric fic AND i'm bad at her characterization so it's a delicate balance.
> 
> also okay look at the end honestly??? probably OOC for clary because i love her but homegirl kind of don't give a shit about anyone but her and jace. but look i honestly really like her and want her to be more sympathetic so imagine she really cares about simon and maia okay???  
> i mean she does care about simon but like. you saw how she was kind of a dick to him. so just imagine she _really_ cares about him, like cares about him the way he cares about her, ya feel me?
> 
> not to mention i kind of mostly don't care about the plots that don't involve like, my faves (magnus and maia, and then to some extent alec, simon, and luke) so i kind of forgot clary was supposed to be "dead" and all that shit was happening until i was already half way through writing it.  
> i almost changed it to make it "jace is an idiot and tried to literally bring clary back from the dead and it got him captured and now magnus has to go save him" (because let's be honest that's in-character) but honestly? i like it better this way. part of the whole reason that other things in plot are going to be happening is **(SPOILERS** lol) magnus is willing to do Some Major Shit to get simon and maia back. so rather than once again make this a whole parabatai thing wherein magnus once again sacrifices a bunch of shit for jace and/or clary because of alec (well, he does care about clary, but it once again follows the pattern of "magnus gives up/risks everything for shadowhunters that don't exactly give much back"), it's more about him being selfless and kind and willing to do anything to help fellow downworlders. does that make sense? idk.  
>  you can probably tell the reason i'm mostly doing this is for Plot Reasons™, which means i'm fudging the details a bit.


End file.
